


edge of perception

by LunaMemoria



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Author is writing an AU using a game she has yet to finish playing, F/M, Gen, If you know the game then yeah..., Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rocket of Whispers AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 03:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21247046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaMemoria/pseuds/LunaMemoria
Summary: “The universe is in our bones and the stars power our souls. The cosmos… It’s the beginning and also the end. It’s… home.”“I just want the ghosts to go away,” mumbles Felix under his breath...Things are ever so different since the plague.Felix just wants them to go away, the horrible voices that haunt his every waking and dreaming moment - quite literally. Naturally, it’s more complicated than that.





	edge of perception

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy here we go,,,  
This is like my first time attempting to write a multi-chapter fic and I have no clue how this works so yeah........ If you played the game then you probably know what's coming -- then again I haven't played past Rocket 18 so if you know what's coming up, it would be appreciated if you didn't spoil anything! This fic will have some bits of the OG game (the descriptions... rocket parts and stuff because I'm a middle schooler ok... I don't know how rockets work) but the main story would be a lil different, probably  
And yeah! That's about it. I hope you enjoy your read!!

_ Galactic Calendar 15310 _

  
  
  


_ September 23 _

_ .. _

It is a cold morning, and Felix is sitting on the floor near the entrance of the rocket factory, struggling to get his boots on.

Adrien rushes past him, long having slipped into his new sneakers, bouncing around excitedly. He goes up and down on his toes, a huge grin on his face that stays intact despite the chilly wind entering through the wide-opened metal front doors. "Hurry up, Felix! It's starting soon!"

"I'm trying to," he grunts, pulling on his shoes again. This is ridiculous. He is ten years old and hasn't stepped outside the rocket factory more times than he can count on one hand, not to mention get the chance to go out and see an actual space burial for himself. And now he's being stopped by a pair of stupid shoes.

This is stupid. He wishes he didn't have to bother with it and could just leave like that, but it would be a foolish thing to do.

Adrien kneels down next to him, his lips in a thin line and his eyes fixed on Felix's boots. "You know, you wouldn't have to go through all the trouble if you just wore shoes like mine." There is amusement in his tone, which Felix simply elects to ignore.

"No," he insists stubbornly. He struggles again, this time finally managing to pull the boot up to fit comfortably. Father chooses to grace them with his presence this exact moment, finely dressed in a beige coat and hat like the elegant man he is. Felix is thankful that he's managed to ready himself by then, immediately standing up and straightening himself next to Father. Adrien does the same, except he's too excited to bother with little things like these. Father doesn't even try to lecture him too, so Felix allows himself to loosen up. Just a bit. Adrien notices this and immediately slings a hand over Felix's shoulder, startling him but warming his insides. He adjusts the scarf wrapped loosely more on his shoulders rather than around his neck; grins at his brother. Adrien returns him with a big cheerful one.

Father speaks up, an unusual softness to his voice, although that could very well be Felix's imagination. "Alright, boys. Let's go. Wouldn't want to miss the space burial." Adrien yells out with enthusiasm, skipping his way out. Felix nods simply, then breaks into a run after his brother. Father stares for a few seconds before he catches up behind them.

This is going to be a  _ day. _

..

The air is humid and there is a scent of rain and dirt all around, somewhat refreshing and a reminder of autumn, when seasons were still a thing - the kind of weather that usually makes you want to lie down in the middle of the day and let the earth reclaim you. 

But not today. 

Groups of villagers are scattered around the plaza and space burial altar. He takes a deep breath and braces himself as he sees the ever-increasing crowds - he's never really been out that much, but it's enough for him to know that he doesn't like crowds. They just make things louder and harder than necessary. He squints at the sight of an even larger crowd gathered before the dirt path that leads to the Earthology church. They form a line leading to where he supposes is the launch site, a tall silvery rocket seen in the distance.

The church is a grand building, looming over the rest of the village like a silent protector; its dark brick walls standing out in the dust-filled, greyish background. The grass around it has long overgrown but does not spot a color remotely close to a healthy green - when did plants last look like that? Certainly not after the plague, that one's for sure. Felix faintly remembers reading in a book that the church was built sometime in G.C. 15100. More than two hundred years ago. He wonders, looking at the silhouette of the building, how many times had it undergone renovations and rebuilding. 

Adrien is already eagerly making his way through the crowd surrounding the church, which makes their father shake his head disapprovingly and Felix fasten his steps. He, too, is excited for the same thing everyone is here for; the thought of seeing them making him hold back a grin.

Ardently, he pushes through the crowd, accidentally bumping into someone's back or getting tangled in their too long scarves. He mumbles a few apologies, then continues squeezing past villagers, using his small figure to his advantage. It doesn't take long for him to come out on the front at last, where he finds Adrien kneeling in the grass, a hand on his head, the gesture of an eager explorer. He smiles at the sight of this, then moves it further along the trail, seeing  _ them _ at last.

A small group stands there, a fair distance between the church and the launch site.  _ Witches, _ a voice whispers in his head as he watches them carefully, taking in their every movement. Each figure is dressed in a cloak of different colour; all of them with their hoods on. There is something special about how they all move, Felix manages to tell this much, despite seeing them for the first time -  _ something _ , something he doesn't know, makes the air almost seem vibrant and colourful and filled with life. 

There is a reason the villagers trust them so much, Father has once told him.

Maybe it's this. This- magic, or whatever one prefers to call it, fills people with hope. With belief in the possibility that despite everything, things will turn out to be okay in the end. Felix thinks otherwise, according to all the cold hard evidence, according to the fact that the plague is spreading fast in other areas, and so does Father; but Adrien believes in the better telling. He often tells Felix to be more optimistic too, because honestly optimism is all they have left. Felix didn't really see the meaning in running from the truth then, doesn't know why people choose to believe in something like  _ magic, _ but he thinks he understands. He tries to, anyway.

"Aren't they cool?" asks Adrien, eyes starry as he gestures to the witches with a thumb. He sighs dreamily. "I wish I could be one too…"

Felix places a hand over his mouth to hide a giggle. "Too bad then. Only girls can be witches." His eyes fly towards the small group again as he says this - there are only 12 of the witches, he had counted. They're the only ones in the country, which is also the reason why they're not seen often out in public. Most of the time, they only come out to conduct space burials, take care of the rituals that help guide people back to the cosmos. There is a certain romance about it that draws even Felix to it, the whole thing with returning souls to the stars. Father must have been drawn to it too, or else he wouldn't have become a rocket engineer.

One of the elders once said this:  _ If the cosmos was not what brought us together, then the cosmos never was. _

He doesn't know about everyone else, but that certainly was what brought his family together. The reason it's still together. He treasures it for that reason.

"Who's the new witch this year?" Someone in the crowd asks. Adrien's head perks up at this question, then he starts inching closer to get a better look. A hand reaches out and stops him from doing so, and both brothers turn around to see Father there, a stern expression on his face.

"You shouldn't go near them. You might disturb the ritual."

"Do you know who's the new witch, Father?!"

"Yes, I do." He points to the middle, where a shorter figure stands. A girl cloaked in red. Felix's eyes widen with realization - the girl cannot be but a few years older than himself, but normally witches are at least in their late teens when they are chosen. This girl looks thirteen at most. Father seems to realize his surprise, offering an explanation.

"She's a child prodigy, also the youngest witch to ever be. The elder seems to see something in her that no one else does."

Felix watches the witch with great curiosity. She must have plenty of talent and wisdom to earn this place. But do witches have the freedom to do what they want? Do they have time to read books unrelated to rockets, space burials, or the saints who came before them? Those were details his books never told him, and Father refuses to tell. Everyone has their hopes pinned on the witches - on this new, young witch.

How must it feel like, having the weight of the world on your shoulders? 

Felix would never know.

And it's not like he wants to, either.

The girl chooses that moment to turn round, meeting his eyes with her curious and soft gaze. Startled, Felix looks away. When he looks back, the girl has already been pulled off to the front of the line, no doubt the main focus of the day.

He lets Adrien pull him all the way towards the launch site after the witches. The next part comes in a blur, but he remembers his father's hand on his shoulder and Adrien's fingers tightly wrapped around his as they countdown. The villagers count too, some of them holding memoirs of their loved ones as they do so. Father grips the necklace he says once belonged to Mom tightly in his other hand. Felix wonders if he does this at other, previous space burials too - Mom  _ has _ died a long time ago, with Father being the only person in their household to remember her.

But it's really the thought that counts, he thinks as he watches the rocket ascend into the twilight, a hundred trails of soft bluish light tracing after it as it travels, up and up and up until it disappears among the clouds.

That would turn out to be his last memory of proper,  _ magnificent _ , dreamlike space burials, but of course, he wouldn't know that until much later on.

..

Late in the night.

Felix wakes up from someone shaking him - Adrien, all the time, every time. He squints his eyes at the faint light of the oil lantern next to the bed, frowns, reaches for his covers. His brother pouts and pulls the covers away.

"What are you-"

Adrien cuts him off, putting a finger to his lips. "Shh. Don't wake Father."

"What are you doing? What is this about?" 

"C'mon. Don't you want to check it out? The rocket, I mean."

_ The rocket Father is working on, _ he realizes. Father never let Felix and Adrien into his workplace - or never let them stay long enough to see how things work in there anyway. It's always just a passing glance, nothing more. He knows about them, how their curiosity works, how they always try to touch things that fascinate them.

He always used to say he'd let them in when they're ready to become rocket engineers. Of course they're not ready yet. They're just kids. Felix doesn't even know if he wants to become a rocket engineer in the first place.

But he wants to see it. The rocket. He wants to see it so badly, especially after the space burial.

Father has always expected better from Felix.

But...

It's okay to be childish sometimes, right?

"Okay," he tells Adrien, and then they quickly tiptoe past Father's room and head straight to the largest room of the factory, the only home they've known. They pause just a bit as they stand before the huge doors with the words  _ DO NOT ENTER _ emblazoned across them. Felix, for once, ignores the words and does what his childish heart desires, pushing open the door. A loud squeak sounds out as he does this, and both of them tense up for a moment. Then there is nothing but the sound of the wind in the night and the creaking of the old lamp hanging above them. Nothing comes from Father's room, just an imaginary figure who does not scold them or see them sneak past at all. Nothing more.

They look at each other silently, then with a shared nod of agreement, step into the darkness that fills the room. Felix pulls out his small torchlight - a much more practical and subtle choice than Adrien's lantern - and switches it on. He feels his heart pounding. Adrien takes his hand and squeezes it.

He takes in his surroundings. The floor is littered with accessories and metal parts that he does not know the name of yet - messy in a way Felix didn't know was possible for Father. There are posters and papers all over the wall, small and neat words and drawings filling them like they could barely contain the ideas of the person who wrote them. He approaches the wall to better see the writing on one of the papers -  _ Rocket 11 Blueprint, Thrust: 600 kg, Specific impulse: 200s.  _ And way down there below the huge sketch of the rocket, stashed there in impossibly tiny handwriting like it's the last thing that matters on this paper, is this: 

_ Designed by G. Agreste. _

He chews on his lip. Is this what he'll end up doing one day? He tries to imagine holding a blueprint of a rocket in his hand, signing it with the words  _ F. Agreste. _ It feels weird and funny as a thought in his head and he quickly shakes it, makes it go away.

And it's not like it's  _ bad _ , either, but he wonders anyway, about the small possibility of him being something other than this in a world like the one he is in. What would he even be? What does he even  _ want _ ?

"Psst. Felix. Felix! Over here."

He turns around to find Adrien standing next to the workbench. And there on the racks above the workbench is Rocket 11, incomplete but an incredible sight nevertheless. The moonlight streaming in from the skylight glints off the metal plate, and he has to resist his urge to lay a hand on it to feel the cool metal. He doesn't touch it, but Adrien does. He sends his brother a warning glare, and receives a sheepish half-smile in return.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

Adrien's voice grows distant - Felix doesn't have to look at him to tell that he's moved his gaze from the rocket to the view of the purplish night sky outside the skylight. It happens a lot. Felix does that too, sometimes, but when he does it he doesn't come out of his trance as easily as Adrien does. "Do you ever wonder what it's like? Building your own rocket?"

"I don't know," he replies honestly. He doesn't say  _ I would like to know _ like he originally planned to, because he doesn't know if it would be a lie. And lying is the last thing he wants to do to his brother.

Adrien takes a deep, deep breath. "I think- I think  _ I  _ would like to. It's just- this whole idea. It sounds amazing. And especially after today-"

"-Yeah. Yeah," he says lamely. "I know what you mean. It's- really cool."

"Maybe we could build one of our own, y'know. After a few years or something. Father would definitely let us do that, right?"

He nods thoughtfully. "He did say he'd teach us, or something like that."

"Then it's decided! We're gonna- we'll build a rocket by ourselves!"

"That sounds good," Felix tells him with a small smile. It does sound good, this idea. If it's Adrien's dream, then Felix thinks he could do this. He could live with this, supporting his brother. Then possibly they'll make something that their father approves of for once, or maybe they won't. It doesn't matter. Either way, it'll work out fine for them. Adrien's got all the hopes and dreams and motivation to keep on working. Felix - he has enough skills and interest in rocket engineering. They could do this. They  _ will _ do this.

They'll build their own dream.

"It's a promise, okay?" Adrien says, reaching his hand out for a fistbump because that's a special thing in this family - they don't do pinky promises or things like that. Adrien likes their family traditions to be special and unique. Felix smiles, reaches out his own, completing the fistbump.

"Promise."

Then both siblings break out in soft laughter and creep back into their room before anyone could find out. It was their secret, something only known to them, a promise with only the walls of the empty workshop and the moon as witnesses.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


.

  
  


..

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Galactic Calendar 15313 _

  
  
  
  
  


_ .. _

  
  
  


_ . _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The promise is broken. So is the Agreste family. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Felix stays in the rocket factory and doesn't go out for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya what do you guys think? It would make me really happy if you left a comment to let me know your thoughts!!  
I have about 600 words for the next chapter done,,  
So within these two weeks?? Maybe???


End file.
